Flint Community

Hurley Medical Center is located in the city of Flint in Genesee County, Michigan. Situated along the educational and business corridor that also links Lansing, Ann Arbor and Detroit, Flint is centrally placed between the vibrant urban centers of Southeastern Michigan and the natural wonders of the Great Lakes and Northern Michigan. The region is, in effect, a microcosm of the country, reflecting all of the opportunities and challenges facing 21st century America.

While all of these factors make the Flint area an exceptional medical community to practice medicine, they also make it an exceptional place to live. At Hurley, we recognize that professional satisfaction walks hand-in-hand with personal satisfaction, and we are committed to helping residents and their families make a successful transition to living and working in Flint and Genesee County, Michigan.

Travel in Flint and throughout Michigan

For travel in and around the state of Michigan, visit the Pure Michigan website.

History of Flint

Flint began in 1819 when fur trader Jacob Smith settled along the Saginaw Trail, a foot-travel route for Native Americans. With its plentiful water power, Flint soon became a major lumber region and, later, a strong manufacturing center, especially of carriages. Those shops later turned to making automobile bodies. (Nicknamed Vehicle City, Flint includes an historical “Carriage Town.”)

In 1908, General Motors was founded in Flint by William Crapo Dupont, who started by building carriages with Josiah Dallas Dort, then bought Buick Motor Company and turned to making cars. Dupont later launched Chevrolet with friend Louis Chevrolet. At its peak in 1978, 80,000 workers were employed in auto factories in Flint, which also is the site of the historically significant Flint Sit-Down Strike (Dec. 30, 1936, to Feb. 11, 1937), where General Motors President Alfred Sloan and auto workers faced off over many issues and eventually peacefully resolved the strike after GM agreed to a single demand from the workers: Recognition that the United Auto Workers union was the only bargaining body for auto workers.

During World War II, Flint’s manufacturing capabilities were important for the U.S. military, which Flint supplied with tanks and other tools. Flint’s population peaked in the 1960s with nearly 200,000 well-paid residents, with a vibrant Flint Cultural Center to match. Since then, the auto industry has shrunken in Flint. By 2010, economic hard times had reduced auto jobs to 8000 in the city. Most workers left the area to find employment elsewhere. Due to dire financial conditions, the Flint city government has been led by state-appointed emergency managers twice (2002-2004 and 2011-2016).

The city is currently coping with the aftermath of water contaminated with lead, which may have affected recent revitalization and development efforts downtown, in addition to affecting the health of residents. Flint also has become the focus of much public health research, including the formation of the Michigan State University-Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, led by Hurley Pediatric Residency Program Director Mona Hanna-Attisha MD MPH.

It should be noted that the Flint Cultural Center remains a major commercial and artistic attraction, and downtown thrives with many college students, eateries, entertainment venues, and coffee shops. Explore more here: